Dire Straits
"Dire Straits" is the 6th episode in the first season of Campaign 2.0, and the 14th episode overall in the campaign. Summary * We’re on our way to Runewatch for the job that Sulelia took from Avani. The stuff we’re supposed to be delivering is stuffed in our cart, and it all seems to be glassware. * Bryna’s having the time of her life taking off into the sky on her dragon. We named it Ann! She teaches it how to “laugh” by having it drop its jaw and close it again really fast. * Gareth and Thomal have a little competition to see who can catch the biggest game. During that time, Gareth meets some scary forest dude who apparently rules these parts of the woods and is effectively chased out of his territory. Thomal kills a tiny bunny and decapitates it. Seeing as Thomal actually harvested something, he's declared the winner! * During our night watches, Gareth is being driven absolutely insane by the mechanical whirring of Ann. * The next day, Gareth spots some boars. You know what would be a good idea? Shooting one of them! Gareth gets the shit beat out of him by these three giant boars, but it’s okay, ‘cause we kill them all. Yay, bacon dinner! * Angeal takes the next night watch. At some point while flying in the sky, Ann drops a mutilated cow in front of Angeal. It gives her a laugh before it takes back off into the air. Later in the night, Angeal spots a hooded figure off in the distance. It turns out to be a woman, and she asks Angeal if she can travel with us to Runewatch. Her cart’s broken down a ways back, and she has no other way to make the journey safely. * Y'know what? Sure, come with us! The woman’s name is Malveria. She’s pale-skinned, has super prominent veins around her eyes, and has red streaks running through her brunette hair. Angeal keeps a super close eye on her for the entire night. * The next day we all meet this mystery woman. Malveria tells us she’s traveling back to Runewatch after having stayed in Nir Dorrun for a while. She needs to take up her family’s estate after the recent death of her grandparents, and she’s the only one of her family left. * Cool, coo— BANDIT AMBUSH! Turns out Malveria’s more than capable of defending herself; chick gets ripped from drinking concoctions she calls mutagens, and she helps us beat the shit out of the bandits with her cool kunai chain weapons. * Oh my fucking God. The bandits are taking off with our cart full of the stuff we need to deliver, SOMEONE STOP THEM. Bryna takes Gareth onto Ann and the two try to give chase. They track the cart back to their hideout at a barn, but they’re spotted! * The bandits shoot Ann out of the sky. Bryna and Gareth fall to the ground, but the latter lands his grappling hook onto a branch before they hit the ground. Cool moves, Gareth! * Bryna sifts through the wreckage of Ann and salvages the Birthstone. Gareth and her try to hide before the bandits find them, but only Gareth rolls well enough, and Bryna gets fucking ‘napped by them.